READER LETTER | Governments can easily cover up top secret incidents

Thirty-six years ago the SAA Helderberg crashed into the India Ocean killing all 159 people on board.

The truth has been covered up for all these years, in a concealment that is really staggering. The most crucial and pivotal piece of evidence, that could either prove or disprove critical elements of the crash, mysteriously disappeared.

The ZUR tape, it is alleged contains damning evidence, which could confirm the  presence of military cargo on board the ill-fated flight. A ZUR tape records conversation between a pilot and a plane’s home base on a dedicated frequency.

The Margo Commission and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission failed to locate the missing tape. It was claimed the tape was mislaid or overwritten. An explanation that was difficult to comprehend. Sworn statements reveal that this crucial tape went through 10 people in the corridors of power, involving SAA, Armscor and the then nationalist government.

Why would they go through such extraordinary measures to conceal a tape if there was nothing sinister in its contents? It has been recorded throughout history that powerful governments can cover up top secret incidents, SA is no exception. On September 27, 1979, AUS Vela spy satellite detected a double flash near Prince Edward Islands, indication a nuclear explosion was in progress.

SA vehemently denied involvement, a troubled Western world covered up the incident, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that SA had tested a nuclear weapon. Many years later, former president FW de Klerk came clean and SA dismantled its seven nuclear bombs.

Farouk Araie, Benoni